USCGC Storis (WMEC-38)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | July 14, 1941 |
| Launched: | April 4, 1942 |
| Commissioned: | September 30, 1942 |
| Decommissioned: | Active (Oldest Coast Guard ship still in service). Scheduled for decommissioning in 2007. |
| Fate: | Still active |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 2,030 tons |
| Length: | 230 feet |
| Beam: | 43 feet |
| Propulsion: | Diesel Electric |
| Speed: | 14 Knots |
| Range: | |
| Complement: | 12 Officers; 74 Enlisted |
| Armament: | One 25MM Gun, Two .50 cal machine guns |
| Motto: | "Queen of the Fleet" |
The medium endurance cutter Storis (WMEC-38) is the oldest vessel in commission with the United States Coast Guard fleet. She was the first American vessel to circumnavigate North America.
The keel of Storis was laid down on July 14, 1941. Storis was launched on April 4, 1942 and commissioned on September 30, 1942 as an ice patrol tender. Initially assigned to the North Atlantic during World War II, Storis participated in the Greenland Patrols. She was tasked with patrolling the east coast of Greenland to prevent the establishment of German weather stations.
On 10 June 1943, the began escorting convoy GS-24 from Narsarssuak to St. John's, Newfoundland, in company with the Mojave (Flag), Tampa, Escanaba, and Algonquin, the convoy consisting of USAT Fairfax and USS Raritan. At 0510 on the 13th, dense black and yellow smoke was reported rising from the Escanaba. She sank at 0513. Storis and Raritan were ordered to investigate and rescue survivors while the rest of the convoy began zigzagging and steering evasive courses to avoid submarines. At 0715 the two cutters returned, having rescued 2 survivors and found the body of Lt. Robert H. Prause, which was on the Raritan. No explosion had been heard by the other escort vessels. The entire crew of 103 of the Escanaba was lost with the exception of these two men.
During her first years, Storis operated in the very waters from which her name was derived. "Storis" is a Scandinavian name taken from the Eskimo word "sirorssuit" meaning "great ice."
Following the war, the homeport of Storis was changed from Boston to Curtis Bay, Maryland. On September 15, 1948, Storis was reassigned to Juneau, Alaska where she participated in the Bering Sea Patrol, which entailed delivering medical, dental and judicial services to isolated native villages in the far reaches of the territory. At the same time, Storis assisted in establishing Alaskan LORAN radio-navigation stations, provided supplies for the Defense Early Warning System and conducted hydrographic surveys in the uncharted waters off the Arctic.
On July 1, 1957, Storis departed in company with the Coast Guard Cutters Bramble (WLB-392) and USCGC Spar (WLB-403) to search for a deep draft channel through the Arctic Ocean and to collect hydrographic information. This historic transit ended a 450-year search for the Northwest Passage – a route for large ships across the top of North America. Upon her return to Greenland waters, Storis became the first U.S. registered vessel to circumnavigate the North American continent. Shortly after her return in late 1957, the Storis was reassigned to her new homeport of Kodiak, Alaska.
In 1972, Storis underwent a major renovation converting her from a light icebreaker to a medium endurance cutter. With the change in designation, there also came a change in primary duties. The primary functions of Storis shifted to enforcing laws and treaties of the domestic and foreign fisheries in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. Storis underwent another major maintenance overhaul in 1986 that replaced her power plant and expanded her living quarters to include a new berthing area for women and a lounge for the crew.
Today, Storis holds the distinction of being the oldest commissioned cutter in the Coast Guard fleet and bears the title of "Queen of the Fleet" and proudly displays her gold "38" hull numbers. Storis routinely patrols the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. In her seventh decade of service to the nation and Alaska, she continues to perform her duties of enforcement of laws and treaties, search and rescue, homeland security, icebreaking, and military readiness.
